In today’s fast-moving world there are many diverse types of schools and ways of getting a degree: cyber schools (or virtual) and public (brick & mortar), intramural and extramural forms of studying, single-shift and double-shift systems. Do you know that even triple-shift systems exist? Three groups of pupils share the same set of buildings and facilities; the school day is quite short (it lasts for about 4 hours a day), so, it is considered to be an emergency measure. Such pattern is used in both primary and many secondary schools by the Dominican Republic, Mozambique and Zambia. Does this fact surprise you? Then, what about this one: a school in the Philippines managed to function having quadruple overlapping shifts – it is quite impressive, huh? The timetable was obviously complicated but this particular experiment shows that classrooms can be occupied from 7 a.m. to almost 8 p.m. Crazy enough, isn’t it? Ironically, it seems hard for everyone in this form of schooling: for staff, teachers, children and their parents, but human mind resources seem to be bottomless when it comes to economizing.

For The Record

Anyway, in the US terms “full-time student” and “part-time student” sound more familiar, although, not everyone can accurately distinguish them. In general, the difference between a full-time and a part-time student defines by the number of credit hours that they take each semester. If you are interested in a specific characteristic of these notions, you may look through this article. Theoretically, you may have older friends who have entered the universities and can clarify you each of these two options, their advantages, and disadvantages.

By the way, if you feel that something goes wrong between you and your friends since the time you moved to different cities to get a higher education, the previous article may be somehow useful.

What About the European Continent?

In Europe, intramural and extramural forms of studying are implemented. These types differ from what we see in America. Studying at the extramural form means that a student receives all teaching materials by e-mail and he/she must independently pass the course which is divided into modules (thematic blocks in each discipline). Module grades form total points for the admission to an examination.

Austrian universities, for example, distinct from others with a free schedule of planning your educational process. Hence, it is possible to plunge into studies completely or extend it for many years and unhurried steps.

How Does It Work?

Let us look closer at pros and cons of the extramural form of study. On the one hand, it seems ideal for those who live in another country or work there and want to do a diploma in one of the universities in Austria. This schedule of the educational process is, of course, the most flexible, because under such conditions student chooses not only time but also a place of preparation for the exam. On another hand, there are some difficulties: it is hard to organize your time and themselves, combine the classes with work and family. In addition, this type of education eliminates direct communication with group mates and professors, attending classrooms and having students’ life as it is…

The intramural form of education has some peculiarities too, both positive and negative ones.

Sometimes it can be easier to learn with the pieces of advice from undergraduates – they rarely refuse to help the freshmen. Thanks to this type of educational process friendly relations are often being established. By cooperating with a group mate (who is your potential colleague) you can successfully work together to provide the mutual help. Though, if you channel all the efforts to the studying and homework, you will not always have an opportunity to relax physically and mentally. Needless to say, that the situation is getting worse if there is a need to work. Also, the intramural form of education is way more expensive than the extramural one. Therefore, those who have not been so lucky to seize the state-funded place can either pay a significant sum of money forіstudying on a contractual basis or choose distance learning.

What Is Else?

Well, in Ukraine in some universities a double-shift system is implemented due to the different reasons. For example, in the Institute of Philology in Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine) such pattern is used because of the need to combine the studying process with Military Institute. It means that students of Military Department after having classes in their campus building arrive at the Institute of Philology to have some common lectures and seminars with “ordinary students.”

Have a look at positive and negative sides of such system.

While studying on a morning shift, students are able to get a job in order to be more independent from their parents out of the financial point of view. Also, they effortlessly manage to all the occasions they are interested in (whereas the students of second (afternoon) shift have inconveniences of getting there because the majority of cultural events start at 6-7 p.m.). As a slight advantage, we will also point out the fact that students of the morning shift return to the dormitories/apartments when it is still bright outside. This automatically diminishes chances to come across different thieves and boogie men (however, it is very controversial).

In any case, we will continue the list. Students of a second shift can enjoy sleeping much longer and due to their “moved” daily routine, some of them can even see the sunrise, let alone the sunset. Girls are especially lucky to study in this shift because they have more time for make-up and hairdo. Moreover, second shift students have a possibility to do the home task in the morning with a fresh mind. Though, this form of study is far from ideal too: it is hard to be in relationships (have dates, in particular, because of the “tattered” day) and attend training (because the studying day ends at 7 p.m.).

As A Conclusion

Now, when you found out more about some other types of studying process in different countries you may compare your lifestyle to another one and start to appreciate your schedule or student’s life a little bit more. Make sure you will not stick at quicksand of learning. Enjoy your youth as long as you can!